Wondering if someone can shed some light on this - in message chess you have seveal options, one of them is the "time" - 1 day, 15 days, etc. Are they referring to the amount of time you must complete the entire chess game, i.e. if selecting 1 day you have to message back and forth quickly and complete the game within 24 hours or is it the amount of time that the game will be available for someone to join in and begin playing, then it can take as much time as you desire.

Thanks!!!

 

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Also noticed that others had mentioned about not being able to access the servers in message chess. Tried it last night for the first time and it kept on telling me the servers weren't available. The first two times, the warning message was pretty instant. Then when I tried it again a 3rd & 4th time, it took longer for the response to come back that the servers were not available. I decided to try a 5th time and then miraculously it connected. I tried successively several times after that and I was able to connect each time. Appears as if one has to just continue trying and trying and you might get through. Total time for me was about 3-4 minutes before I finally got through. 

Thanks!!!

 

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Yes, there is server problems to say the least. As far as the time choices, that is the amount of time while actually in the game. So lots of time if you crank it up, or just pick 1 day.

In message chess, the amount of time (1 day, 15 days, etc.) refers to the amount of time a player has to complete one move.  For example, if the time is set to 15 days, it's theoretically possible for a 60-move game to take 1800 days (or 4.93 years).

 AldrinXI wrote:

In message chess, the amount of time (1 day, 15 days, etc.) refers to the amount of time a player has to complete one move.  For example, if the time is set to 15 days, it's theoretically possible for a 60-move game to take 1800 days (or 4.93 years).

Wow! that's incredible - so 1 day should be enough most of the time unless you plan on being away or something. What I noticed yesterday in my first "message chess" is that my clock was ticking down from 72 hours, while I was logged in to the inbox. I made a move, noted the time and logged out of the inbox. Just to see what would happen, I clicked on my inbox again and noticed that the time was still running. Not that it started again when I accessed the inbox the 2nd time - it was actually still ticking as if I had been in the inbox.

That's what made me wonder, if the timer is ticking all the time, even if I'm not in message chess, then in 72 continuous hours the game would have to be completed or time would run out. This morning I logged in and the clock was around 71 hours and minutes - didn't make note of exact time.

I wonder if the clock ticks away even if you are not in the Inbox, but just in the game idle or playing with one of the AI characters, since you are logged into Live.

Based on what you said, each time I log in, my clock should start at 72 and work it's way down. I'll check it when I get home from work today to see. Thanks for the info - very appreciated! 

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The timer is ticking all the time even if you don't log in.  They must be running message chess on an independent server.  After you make a move, the timer resets and starts counting down for your opponent.  If your opponent makes a move while you are not around, then your time may show less than 72 hours when you log in.

I learned this after starting a 15-day game.  That's why I agreed to an "early" draw. 

 Skier7667 wrote:

 AldrinXI wrote:

In message chess, the amount of time (1 day, 15 days, etc.) refers to the amount of time a player has to complete one move.  For example, if the time is set to 15 days, it's theoretically possible for a 60-move game to take 1800 days (or 4.93 years).

Wow! that's incredible - so 1 day should be enough most of the time unless you plan on being away or something.

Yeah, the time controls for message chess are very poorly thought out. From my distant recollection of correspondence chess, you got a no. of days to complete a no. of moves, and could accure days saved.

 Skier7667 wrote:

Also noticed that others had mentioned about not being able to access the servers in message chess. Tried it last night for the first time and it kept on telling me the servers weren't available. The first two times, the warning message was pretty instant. Then when I tried it again a 3rd & 4th time, it took longer for the response to come back that the servers were not available. I decided to try a 5th time and then miraculously it connected. I tried successively several times after that and I was able to connect each time. Appears as if one has to just continue trying and trying and you might get through. Total time for me was about 3-4 minutes before I finally got through. 

Thanks!!!

 

I'm not sure I will play message chess again if it come back.  I'd hate to start another game only to find out that the servers go down again and you can't complete the game.  I think Ubi has really messed up on this one.  It also proves that once they create and release a game, they must never take another look at it.  If they did, you'd think they'd realize message chess was down.  Are there no developers at Ubi playing message chess???  None at all??? :)

 Alnark wrote:

 Skier7667 wrote:

Also noticed that others had mentioned about not being able to access the servers in message chess. Tried it last night for the first time and it kept on telling me the servers weren't available. The first two times, the warning message was pretty instant. Then when I tried it again a 3rd & 4th time, it took longer for the response to come back that the servers were not available. I decided to try a 5th time and then miraculously it connected. I tried successively several times after that and I was able to connect each time. Appears as if one has to just continue trying and trying and you might get through. Total time for me was about 3-4 minutes before I finally got through. 

Thanks!!!

 

I'm not sure I will play message chess again if it come back.  I'd hate to start another game only to find out that the servers go down again and you can't complete the game.  I think Ubi has really messed up on this one.  It also proves that once they create and release a game, they must never take another look at it.  If they did, you'd think they'd realize message chess was down.  Are there no developers at Ubi playing message chess???  None at all??? :)

I've been playing message chess since Thursday one move per day and not encountered any problems in logging in and submitting a move. I've logged on around 11 p.m. and around 6 a.m. and got through perfectly with no problem. However the first time I tried to set up a game I did receive the message saying that the servers were busy. I picked a 72 hour time option and hopefully this will not be a problem. The first time that I couldn't get through I tried multiple times over a 10 minute time frame and miraculously I connected. I'll see how it goes, however it appears that this logging in problem might not be addressed properly by Ubi since so many have experienced this problem. I'll see how it goes.

 

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 AldrinXI wrote:

The timer is ticking all the time even if you don't log in.  They must be running message chess on an independent server.  After you make a move, the timer resets and starts counting down for your opponent.  If your opponent makes a move while you are not around, then your time may show less than 72 hours when you log in.

I learned this after starting a 15-day game.  That's why I agreed to an "early" draw. 

You are absolutely correct, I noticed that when I make a move my opponent's time clock resets to 72 hours. So he has 72 hours to make a move. This does make it more convenient, especially if there are issues with logging in at times. Just finish logging in a few minutes ago and I didn't have any problems. So far - so good!

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 Skier7667 wrote:

 Alnark wrote:

 Skier7667 wrote:

Also noticed that others had mentioned about not being able to access the servers in message chess. Tried it last night for the first time and it kept on telling me the servers weren't available. The first two times, the warning message was pretty instant. Then when I tried it again a 3rd & 4th time, it took longer for the response to come back that the servers were not available. I decided to try a 5th time and then miraculously it connected. I tried successively several times after that and I was able to connect each time. Appears as if one has to just continue trying and trying and you might get through. Total time for me was about 3-4 minutes before I finally got through. 

Thanks!!!

 

I'm not sure I will play message chess again if it come back.  I'd hate to start another game only to find out that the servers go down again and you can't complete the game.  I think Ubi has really messed up on this one.  It also proves that once they create and release a game, they must never take another look at it.  If they did, you'd think they'd realize message chess was down.  Are there no developers at Ubi playing message chess???  None at all??? :)

I've been playing message chess since Thursday one move per day and not encountered any problems in logging in and submitting a move. I've logged on around 11 p.m. and around 6 a.m. and got through perfectly with no problem. However the first time I tried to set up a game I did receive the message saying that the servers were busy. I picked a 72 hour time option and hopefully this will not be a problem. The first time that I couldn't get through I tried multiple times over a 10 minute time frame and miraculously I connected. I'll see how it goes, however it appears that this logging in problem might not be addressed properly by Ubi since so many have experienced this problem. I'll see how it goes.

 

Here I sit again at almost 10:00pm MST and no luck.  I think I've been out of message chess for almost a month and a half now.  Maybe it's a location problem?  Trying to connect from Colorado here.

In Tx and haven't had any issues other than when Chessmaster Live first launched? I really like the ability to play a game over the course of a few days/weeks. My only gripe is that I wish you'd get a notification in your Dashboard messages when its your turn to move. Sometimes I've fogotten to check and lost by stupidity :-( lol

Anyhow, hope they fix your server issues!

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 Chill88x wrote:

In Tx and haven't had any issues other than when Chessmaster Live first launched? I really like the ability to play a game over the course of a few days/weeks. My only gripe is that I wish you'd get a notification in your Dashboard messages when its your turn to move. Sometimes I've fogotten to check and lost by stupidity :-( lol

Anyhow, hope they fix your server issues!

I thought the exact same thing would be fantastic.  Actually have a message in your Xbox account that says it's your move, rather than checking throughout the day.

Yeah! that seems like a long time not being able to log in - so far so good. Logged in this morning at 6 AM EST and was able to access message chaess without a problem. Having a popup of some kind or message reminder would be great. I thought there was a reminder because the first time I played my opponent sent me a message right after he made his move and I happen to be in Live, and it said: "your move" - so I thought this was normal. I found out that it is not system generated. What a pity?

There should be a reminder at least when you log into Chessmaster at least, but in Live that would be even better. I guess we are asking for too much for a $10 or so game.

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How many servers do you suppose they have running for this game?  Somehow I envision a mouse running on a exercise wheel to power up the Chessmaster Live servers... :)

 Alnark wrote:

How many servers do you suppose they have running for this game?  Somehow I envision a mouse running on a exercise wheel to power up the Chessmaster Live servers... :)

 

HA! ha! - so funny!Well I briefly logged in this morning around 7:45 AM and got through fine. Again so far so good. I wonder if a firewall setting might be causing a lingering issue. Communications is very challenging. Pity they don't provide real support. How about going to their Chessmaster website and submitting through their forums there. I'm sure they must read those. Reason I mentioned firewall is because my Xbox 360 is connected directly to my PC's ethernet connection and the PC goes wirelessly to my router. So my PC's firewall settings have to be perfect for the Xbox to get through it.

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Thought of the firewall possibility.  However, my 360 is plugged directly into my router and I haven't changed anything.  One day I could login and the next it couldn't connect.  Very odd and frustrating.

I went ahead and registered with Ubisoft and filed an "official" question.  I will post their response here when I get one (they state an answer within 1 day).

 Alnark wrote:

Thought of the firewall possibility.  However, my 360 is plugged directly into my router and I haven't changed anything.  One day I could login and the next it couldn't connect.  Very odd and frustrating.

I would check two things.One is if you are knowledagble, read up on the config for your router, go to the manufacturer's site, etc. and see if there is anything pertaining to Xbox. Also check with your ISP for assistance in making sure the router is optimized for the Xbox. Maybe you can run some diag tests that might uncover something. The PC is a tad more generous in communications, but I believe the Xbox follows more stringent protocols. I would imagine that if you are using the Xbox direct to the router, you are using the router's firewall - again something else to eliminate from the picture because maybe it's not Ubi's fault completelly.

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 Alnark wrote:

I went ahead and registered with Ubisoft and filed an "official" question.  I will post their response here when I get one (they state an answer within 1 day).

Yes, that is probably a good idea - as that is their main site. I would think that even though it's a $10 game, they do want that the experience be positive. It probably will never be like their PC games, then again what you can do here, you can't do on the PC. If one is really into Chess, attending weekly chess meetings and tournatments, this game might not offer them the same experience they are use to. The basics should at least be there, allow correct moves, prevent incorrect moves, allow you to log in without cardiac arrest, ha! ha! and provide some preventitive fix for those that want to manipulate the game to earn extra points. In the end, it's a game and the result is to have fun!

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Well the guru's at Ubi have spoken:

"You will need to contact Microsoft directly for any questions or problems with the Xbox Live service, including the content downloads. You can reach them at 1-800-4MY-XBOX."

Let the finger pointing begin.

I also need to apologize upfront to whomever's game I joined...I found games available on message chess and got so excited I thought it was fixed.  Well, it wasn't, so if you accept a game from me, you will win for sure.  :o)

 Alnark wrote:

Well the guru's at Ubi have spoken:

"You will need to contact Microsoft directly for any questions or problems with the Xbox Live service, including the content downloads. You can reach them at 1-800-4MY-XBOX."

Let the finger pointing begin.

That almost sounds like a "canned" email response - however if MS sees there are issues, I'm sure they will work with Ubi to make it right since they have a partnership with them and probably don't want to damage it. Let's see what happens. If you look at some of the posts on this forum, you should find one that is rather long, with users talking about many issues. One of the employee's of Ubi had been commenting - his views - and his style in the beginning was not exactly pleasant. He later compiled some of the issues and was suppose to forward them to Ubi, but he also appears to have had to leave for service duty and is probably gone now. I've not read posts in that forum for a while. I don't think anyone decided to take it to the MS level to see what might happen. I guess because MS is so large, people feel they don't care or it not worth it. However, with patience and accurate info, I'm sure MS will want to do the right thing, because everything related to "Live" is extremely important to them.

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 Alnark wrote:

Thought of the firewall possibility.  However, my 360 is plugged directly into my router and I haven't changed anything.  One day I could login and the next it couldn't connect.  Very odd and frustrating.

One thing that might be worth a try is to do another "Initial Install" from the Console's System Blade. I had an issue the other night were my headset was able to hear and send one way voice communications, but would hear nothing when trying to activate a two way Chat session. So I did a re-setting or an re-doing the Initial Install - reluctantly of course! ha! ha! Then tried the two way Chat and it worked flawlessly. Maybe a long shot even though it doesn't appear to be related since you probably can play online in Live with no problem. I would have thought that if I could send and hear one way voice recording, then chat should also work. I had not experienced any problems logging into Live or accessing Live content or games, yet this resetting of the intial install settings appears to have fixed the issue. Communications is tricky business. Let us know.

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 Skier7667 wrote:

 Alnark wrote:

Thought of the firewall possibility.  However, my 360 is plugged directly into my router and I haven't changed anything.  One day I could login and the next it couldn't connect.  Very odd and frustrating.

One thing that might be worth a try is to do another "Initial Install" from the Console's System Blade. I had an issue the other night were my headset was able to hear and send one way voice communications, but would hear nothing when trying to activate a two way Chat session. So I did a re-setting or an re-doing the Initial Install - reluctantly of course! ha! ha! Then tried the two way Chat and it worked flawlessly. Maybe a long shot even though it doesn't appear to be related since you probably can play online in Live with no problem. I would have thought that if I could send and hear one way voice recording, then chat should also work. I had not experienced any problems logging into Live or accessing Live content or games, yet this resetting of the intial install settings appears to have fixed the issue. Communications is tricky business. Let us know.

I may give this a whirl.  Does it affect your achievements or anything?

 Alnark wrote:

 Skier7667 wrote:

 Alnark wrote:

Thought of the firewall possibility.  However, my 360 is plugged directly into my router and I haven't changed anything.  One day I could login and the next it couldn't connect.  Very odd and frustrating.

One thing that might be worth a try is to do another "Initial Install" from the Console's System Blade. I had an issue the other night were my headset was able to hear and send one way voice communications, but would hear nothing when trying to activate a two way Chat session. So I did a re-setting or an re-doing the Initial Install - reluctantly of course! ha! ha! Then tried the two way Chat and it worked flawlessly. Maybe a long shot even though it doesn't appear to be related since you probably can play online in Live with no problem. I would have thought that if I could send and hear one way voice recording, then chat should also work. I had not experienced any problems logging into Live or accessing Live content or games, yet this resetting of the intial install settings appears to have fixed the issue. Communications is tricky business. Let us know.

I may give this a whirl.  Does it affect your achievements or anything?

No it doesn't affect your actual account profile, it has to do with the config settings of your Xbox 360, so you will not lose any achievements. After selecting that, it will want to do another Network setting  verification to ensure that the network settings to connect to Live are correct. It probably clears all the old stuff out and "maybe", just maybe it will resolve the com issue you are having. I connected to Chessmaster this morning at 7 AM without a hitch and on Saturday around 10 AM, again without problems - right in. Let me know what happens.

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Did the initial setup and nothing has changed.  Really sad they can't or wont look into this.

Yikes! sorry to hear that - was worth a try. As I mentioned in my Live Message on Xbox, maybe trying to contact MS directly for support and explain the situation, maybe one of the techs there can assist in reviewing your settings. I wonder what would happen if you delete the game and redownload it since you won't be charged again. Only thing is I don't know what impact that would have on your scores in the game. I think they are kept on the MS servers, but maybe. Unfortunatley the Xbox is such a closed architecture, unlike a regular PC with an op sys, that you can hardly go in and tweak things. It made for simple "plug in" and begin - most of the time it works flawlessly. I was in again last night twice without incident and have been able to log in to Chessmaster without any issues so far.

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I just finished uninstalling and re-installing Chessmaster...to no avail.  I might try MS, but if I can connect to Live! and download content, play with other friends and see new message chess games, I'm not sure how it could be a MS problem.  It's got to be Ubi's server somehow.

 Alnark wrote:

I just finished uninstalling and re-installing Chessmaster...to no avail.  I might try MS, but if I can connect to Live! and download content, play with other friends and see new message chess games, I'm not sure how it could be a MS problem.  It's got to be Ubi's server somehow.

OK so you deleted Chessmaster, downloaded again and you still have the same problem. It would seem that everything is OK since you can connect to Live, download content, play with other friends, etc. so I guess what is happening is that you can see in your inbox the message that there is a game pending in message chess, but when you select it you never get to the next step that asks you if you want to make a move. Normally at this point you would select A and the board will appear. I would think that for you to be able to see that there's a game in your inbox, you have to be connecting to the servers at some level, but something is happening from this point on. There has to be some relationship at the server level between Microsoft and Ubi, since you can access information from within the game that appears would be located at Microsoft's end.

Communications is very complicated, one might be able to connect to a server, but only up to one point and not get any further. It's tough because from the Xbox one cannot access a communications log, maybe Microsoft knows how, but it certainly is not documented. They do have a host of things to try with communication settings, like setting them manually, but it certainly is not easy.

I imagine you already have tried just for a moment to disable any firewall settings that your router might have as well as completely turn off your router/cable modem and letting it boot up began establishing a new connection and then do a test connections on the Xbox so that it will reset all communications settings again than trying to connect message chess and see what happens.

The last thing would be to get Microsoft on the phone and talk to a Level 2 rep, because a Level 1 rep probably won't be technical enough to help you in this particular situation. He will give you a basic answer like probably for you to contact Ubi. By getting Microsoft involved at that level it would eliminate any possibility that the problem can lie at your end.

What is odd is that some people can connect without a problem, for example I haven't had a problem so far, but some do.

 

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